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Re: Honey Allergy?

I'm not a Doctor or Allergy Specialist but here is my POV.

It's possible that the honey(w/pollen) she purchased from you came from a source she is allergic to. If she hasn't had honey with that high of a content from that source and she is consuming a large amount she could be affected. The idea of honey helping allergies is by consuming small amounts of what bothers you over a long period of time so your body can build up resistence. It won't happen over night and you can have side effects of over medicating.

Re: Honey Allergy?

No her claim is unsubstatiated and SGTs claim is also. Pollen can't be digested by humans and the pollens in honey aren't from the plants that people are allergic to. So, it won't desensitize one from the allergin and it won't cause allergic reaction.

But if a consumer of honey tells you that they ate your honey and it cured them, say "That's nice. Thanks for buying my honey. I hope you buy more."

Re: Honey Allergy?

I agree with squeek creek - recently had a series of email conversations with a young man attending college here from another state. "Do you sell any of the creamy-whitish kind of honey I used to get in northern Nebraska that cures allergies?" he asked. I decided to educate him that honey is not necessarily a sure cure for allergies & did not know what the creamy white-ish honey varietal was along with some basic honey facts. He was convinced that the creamy whitish honey from Neb. cures allergies and was going to keep looking for it.

Consumers often get sold a bill of goods and believe some strongly exaggerated things. That said, we do have a local allergist doctor who often recommends local honey to his patients. I have a group of folks who come by the house or our Farmer's Market booth to get their 'fix'. We also have a small group of people suffering from gout who claim our honey 'cured' them. I just tell them "I'm glad you're enjoying our honey". As a friend of mine jokes "I promise nothing... and deliver every time".

Re: Honey Allergy?

"...Consumers often get sold a bill of goods and believe some strongly exaggerated things. That said, we do have a local allergist doctor who often recommends local honey to his patients. I have a group of folks who come by the house or our Farmer's Market booth to get their 'fix'. We also have a small group of people suffering from gout who claim our honey 'cured' them...."
AHHH... the power of positive thinking! or perhaps...wishfull thinking. i cant speak to the "curing" of allergies but i have had some of my own honey that made my tounge itch. allergy? dunno,maybe.

"Wine is a constant proof that God loves us and loves to see us happy" Ben Franklin

Re: Honey Allergy?

It does actually seem that some honey does help some people with allergies. In those cases, the results seem quite definite.

As for explanations, though, allergies are quite complex and there are also sensitivities, which are triggered and act differently from allergies, so understanding what is going on may not be easy.

Of course, we all know about the placebo effect, but the honey 'cure' seems to work often enough to eliminate this as a sole explantion.

As for allergies to honeys, not only can honey come from plants to which individuals may already be allergic, but it is possible that some things which are placed in hives may cause allergies in some people, as can fungi which can be found in hives either as part of the normal activity or due to presence of dead bees and brood after winter.

Some people may be sensitive to essential oils, yeasts, drugs and other treatments which can get into honey.

People with legume senstivities may think it is the honey, when someone before them dipped a knife used for peanut butter into the jar.

In the past, sulfathiazole was used in beekeeping and often present in parts per million. Quite a few people are sensitive to sulfa drugs.

Re: Honey Allergy?

I used to take bottled honey and comb honey to a cheese factory near here. The cashier grabbed up 3 or 4 combs for her allergies. When I saw her the next time, 4 to 6 weeks later, she seemed quite different. She said that the comb honey cured her. I suggested that she bank a number of combs in her freezer for next year, but she said that it had to be the newest combs from that year or it wouldn't be effective. I didn't argue w/ her.

I really wonder if it was the honey or just the passage of time? Which ever doesn't really matter to me as long as someone buys my honey. Wash your hair w/ it if you wish. I've heard that honey is good for dogs coats, but I've always wondered what it must be like to wash a dog w/ honey, since one drop of honey covers the average kitchen floor.

Re: Honey Allergy?

Don't some folks take "bee pollen" for alergies? Of course I'm not sure why its called bee pollen, it's flower pollen the bees are only collecting it. If anyone is taking pollen, how is it taken, I would guess it taste awful?

Re: Honey Allergy?

Originally Posted by brac

Don't some folks take "bee pollen" for alergies? Of course I'm not sure why its called bee pollen, it's flower pollen the bees are only collecting it. If anyone is taking pollen, how is it taken, I would guess it taste awful?

Arecent NPR article about antidepresents told about placiboes being just as effective in many folks who didn't have long term depression.

People take lots of stuff for conditions that aren't really effected by what they take, and yet their conditions are releved, supposedly.

Re: Honey Allergy?

An allergy to honey is hard to believe but then again so are a lot of other allergies, IMO. As for honey playing a part in desensitizing people to allergens in their area, I'm going to throw my clot in with the people saying that it works. There are caveats with that though, most of the pollen people get exposed to in their area is easily the same for the surrounding 20-30 miles, some say 50. So honey that would be most beneficial would come from an apiary within that radius.

Some things to remember:
Allergic responses are part of an immune response
Our immune system is primarily in the gastrointestinal tract

By adding small amounts of allergens to foods a person can lessen their immune response and reduce their "allergies". There is plenty of research indicating the importance of exposure to different bacteria and allergens to promote a healthy immune system.

I wish I had more sources at my disposal, but the article noted above was the easiest to locate and is generic enough.

As for the NPR piece, which I also heard, I think it was more damning of the way drug trials are conducted with little comparison to existing drugs and procedures, along with the problems with cherry picking for applicants.